


Not Enough

by SunnyDonna



Series: Shy Little Speedster [1]
Category: The Flash (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Prompt Fic, Verbal Abuse, comic and cartoon canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-19
Packaged: 2017-12-25 08:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyDonna/pseuds/SunnyDonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry Allen grew up as an orphan. When he meets Iris Allen, he finds himself thrilled to meet her family, despite her own uneasiness on the matter. When Barry meets Wally, he's appalled at the way his father treats him. </p><p>For Wally, he's never been enough. He's not enough for his mother, who chooses his father over him. He's not enough for his father, who wanted more in a son. He's not enough for the kids at school, who tease him and are mean to him. He grows to wish he could be like the Flash, who's well liked by all, who's enough of a hero for Central and the world. Who's fast enough to be there for everyone. </p><p>But for Barry and Iris, Wally seems to be just enough.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When Barry Met the Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AMMO121](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMMO121/gifts).



> Just for the record, I don't think a verbally abusive home is a good home for a child, however, realistically speaking, not many kids who grow up in verbally abusive homes end up being taken away by the state. So, Iris and Barry do what they can, even if it means not being able to directly help Wally out.

 Barry had never been part of a big family. He had been orphaned as a young boy after his mother's death, and never been adopted. Being an orphan with no siblings had made him relish the idea of a large family. Iris had a brother and a sister. She herself had been orphaned, however, Iris had been adopted as a baby. Iris was close to her father and sister-in-law, so it was no surprise when after seven months of dating, Iris asked if he'd want to meet her family. Barry had been completely enamoured with the idea.

Iris's father, Ira West, was a physicist and a brilliant man. Barry had been enraptured by her father, and after that, had looked forward to meeting the rest of Iris's family.

The next member of her family that Iris introduced him to was her older sister Charlotte. Barry couldn't say he was impressed by Charlotte. She and her husband Edgar seemed to think they were on top of the world since Edgar had made a small fortune as a jeweller. While Barry did think the man was a suave businessman, and their daughter Inez was cute (when she was quiet), he found the family to be entirely too pretentious for an ordinary man like Barry Allen.

Barry was entirely happy when their visits to Charlotte and Edgar became once a month, awkward dinners in public restaurants. He was even more happy that as he and Iris grew closer and closer, that Ira would invite them over almost every weekend. Unfortunately, the man had a tendency to forget he had invited them over, and it took Barry almost two months of meeting Ira to get over the awkward feeling that came with arriving for lunch only to find out Ira had already eaten and was planning to take a nap.

By this time, Barry had become comfortable with Iris's family just the way it was. So, when Iris mentioned her brother Rudolph 'Rudy' West was moving from Blue Valley, Nebraska, to Keystone City, Barry hadn't been very enthused. Iris had told him that Rudy was a lot like Charlotte in his mannerisms, and Barry had translated that for sister-speak to 'He's sort of a pretentious bastard'. His wife Mary was apparently meek and quiet and Iris had relatively little to speak about her beyond the fact that they got along fairly well. They had a son, Wallace, who Iris was tremendously fond of for reasons she hadn't really elaborated on when they'd talked about the Wests.

So after a gruelling hour long car ride (because hello- speedster in a confined box moving at a mere 80 kilometres per hour) they had come to the West household. Standing outside the door, Barry had felt undeniably nervous. He wasn't sure how he'd feel if another one of Iris's siblings turned out to be, well, hard to be around. But he was going to try.

“Iris!” said Rudolph, as he opened the door, a beaming smile on his face.

The man was tall, taller than Barry, and with brown hair that was a dark colour, like the color of burnt toast. He had a beard too, a scruffy beard. But he wasn't wearing a suit like Edgar had when Barry first met him. Just jeans and a flannel shirt. The man lead both Iris and Barry into the small town home. The living room was to the left, with cozy brown couches, and a small television. The long entrance hallway lead to a small kitchen and a small backyard out there. Upstairs were two bedrooms. Overall, the house was tiny, and Barry felt strange as he looked over the Wests situation. It was completely different from the pretentious Rhodes, so why did Iris think Rudy was pretentious?

“Nice to meet you Barry,” said Rudy politely, “Iris told us a lot about you.”

“The pleasure's all mine Rudolph,” said Barry with a grin, “And I can tell you everything Iris has said was probably the cold hard truth. Once a reporter, always a reporter.”

Rudy gave a pleasant chuckle, and Barry found himself chuckling as well. Iris smiled, looking pleased as she sat beside Barry.

“Mary!” called Rudolph loudly, “Iris is here!”

Five minutes later, a red-headed woman pattered into the room. She was holding a small, red-headed six year old on her hip. He was clutching a Flash action figure to his chest, and he was clinging to his mother like a koala bear. Barry couldn't even make out the boy's eye colour. Nothing like two-year old Inez and her bratty tantrums for attention.

“Who's this little man?” asked Barry, grinning as Mary said her quiet hellos and sat down beside Rudolph, Wallace still clinging to her.

“Wally, Barry asked you a question,” said Mary softly, as her son nuzzled deeper into her neck.

To Barry's surprise, a dark look flashed on Rudolph's face, before it disappeared for a jovial smile. He lightly nudged his son, who snapped to attention, and continued clinging to his mother. Barry felt uneasy thinking about that dark look and the boy's behaviour.

“I'm Wally,” said the boy softly, before burying his face in his mother's neck.

“He's shy,” said Rudolph, a tight smile on his face, “Nothing like I was at that age. No idea who he gets that from, since Wests are never this quiet. Anyways boy, go play upstairs.”

“Ah, is that a Flash toy?” asked Barry, glancing at the action figure.

Wally nodded, but kept his face in his mother's neck. Barry's heart broke at the obvious reluctance from the kid. He was usually pretty good with kids, with or without the mask. He felt Iris's hand on his, giving him a gentle squeeze. Despite the fact that she didn't know he was the Flash, she knew Barry liked kids and was naturally good with them, for the most part.

“Wally, go upstairs,” said Rudy, sounding a little angry. Barry had no idea why the man seemed so agitated.

Wally slipped off his mother's lap, threw a reluctant glance her way, and then was out the door immediately. Mary didn't even flinch. She merely took the opportunity to sidle closer to her husband, playing the role of devoted wife to a T. Barry watched him go, marvelling at the kid's speed. For an ordinary human, the boy was fast.

“He's a fast runner,” said Barry with ease, “Does he play any sports?”

Apparently, that was the wrong question to ask. Iris's hand suddenly squeezed his so tight that the blood circulation nearly cut off. Mary stiffened and her hands folded in her lap. And Rudy's face darkened again, before the man laughed, a bit of a bitter edge to it.

“I wish! Boy's too full of daydreams,” said Rudy with a sigh, “He's too shy to get on the field and talk to anyone, and he's terrified off the other kids. All he does all day is read books from the library or watch T.V. Lazy, that's what kids of this generation are like. Back when I was his age, I loved playing outside with the other kids. There hasn't been a single West kid that's ever been as- as- antisocial as that boy. Even Mary was a social butterfly back in school. I have no idea why he's like that.”

“Dad was pretty antisocial,” said Iris quickly, “And Wally is a lot like our dad. Who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be a genius like his grandfather.”

While Mary shot Iris a grateful look, Rudy's fists clenched, and Iris looked uneasy. Barry felt like a stranger in this household, and a little on edge. Apparently bringing up Rudy's son or father to the man opened up a can of worms in the house that lead to, well, this.

“Just what I need, a crackpot for a boy, just like _my_ father,” said Rudy bitterly. Barry tried to hold back the frown, but his eyes must have shown some irritation. The way Rudy stressed that Ira was his father, it made Barry uncomfortable, like he was trying to suggest that he wasn't Iris's father. A tense silence hung in the air.

Finally, Mary opened her mouth and stepped in to say, “It's probably just a phase dear. He'll grow up and out of it, into a man just like his father.”

“He better,” said Rudy.

But Iris wasn't pleased. Her expression had changed to that of a hell-cat's after Rudy had insulted their father and herself, and she had a sour look on her face. Barry could sympathize with her, and felt a tug of pity for the little boy if Mary wanted her son to be like his father instead of his grandfather. Apparently, neither Charlotte nor Rudy could see the sheer brilliance in their father that Iris could.

After that, the conversation turned to lighter topics, such as Iris, Barry and Rudy's respective jobs. Iris and Barry's jobs were so intertwined, with Iris being the lead reporter for Central City, and Barry's job as a forensic scientist, that often times their stories overlapped. Rudy's job, however, was that of a mechanic, and his stories weren't as exciting as either of theirs, but there was far more humour. Despite his flaws, Rudy was a wonderful orator, and he knew how to entertain an audience.

“We had a wonderful time today Mary,” said Iris, as the day came to a close, “If you ever need anything, Central's only an hour away. Please, don't hesitate to call.”

“Thanks for everything Mary,” said Barry with a smile, as the woman gave him an awkward hug, “And it was a pleasure meeting you Rudy. You both have a wonderful home.”

“It was our pleasure,” said Mary with a smile, “I want to go to Central's mall sometime next week. Maybe we should meet then, Iris?”

“That would be perfect,” said Iris with a smile.

Before Mary and Iris could take off about their shopping trip, Barry moved to open the door. He didn't want to get stuck stabbing for conversation with Rudolph. Despite the man being a great talker, they hardly had anything in common. It was difficult to relate to Rudy.

He was interrupted, however, by a loud crash. The sound of a thud rang in his ears, and his first instinct was to check for property damages. However, to his relief, it had come from upstairs, where Wally was. Barry glanced at Rudy, who's face had tightened, and Mary, who had hardly flinched, and assumed this sort of thing was a regular occurrence.

“Boy! What happened?” called Rudy up the stairs.

From the side staircase, the small boy appeared, carrying the Flash action figure with him, and holding onto the railings. Barry's eyes zoned onto the figurine, and he felt a quick smirk tugging at his lips. The next time he met the kid, he'd make sure to talk about the Flash.

“Well?” demanded Rudy, looking stern.

“Dropped my lego set off the bed,” said the boy quietly, so quietly that Barry almost had to strain his ears to hear.

“What was your lego doing on the bed?” asked Mary, looking taken aback.

“I was playing,” said Wally weakly.

“Not your Flash game again, was it?” asked Rudy angrily.

“Flash game?” mouthed Barry to Iris, who gave him a glare.

When the boy didn't respond, his mother sighed, “I told you no legos on the bed Wally. Pick it up, and we'll talk about your punishment later.”

“Yes'm,” said Wally, before running back upstairs to his room.

“Flash game?” asked Barry, trying to sound good-natured and amused rather then derogatory. He'd learnt quickly that Rudy could take the slightest thing as an insult.

“He's fond of the Flash,” said Mary with a sigh, “He likes to re-enact Flash scenarios with his lego bricks. We bought him his first action figure for Christmas this year, and he's been hooked ever since.”

“It's a stupid past-time if you ask me,” said Rudy loudly, and Barry was sure the boy upstairs could hear, “Boy's got a head full of clouds. Told his teacher he'd grow up to be a super-hero! I have no idea how I ended up with him for a son.”

Barry's jaw nearly dropped at the viciousness of Rudy's last statement. He didn't have any kids, and his memories of his mother and father were few and from his oldest memories, but he was certain you didn't say things like that around your son. Even if he was only a floor away. Barry was positive even Superman could hear him all the way here in Central City.

“Just a phase,” said Mary, smoothing her hands over her skirt.

“Right,” said Rudy bitterly, before forcing a twisted smile that looked painful, and saying, “Well, see you around Allen.”

“Yeah, see you,” said Barry with a weak smile.

“Bye Mary, Rudy,” said Iris, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks.

The two of them walked slowly to the car. Barry was driving, so he was gentle to turn the ignition on, and drove a little slower then the speed limit. He really wished he could just slam the gas pedal and drive out of the house before he became witness to another scenario of crazy parenting from Rudolph West, but then, being a speedster and a cop meant abiding speeding rules lest he let his speed get a little out of hand.

It was only when they were a good distance away that Iris finally spoke again. Her voice was low and miserable as she said, “I'm so sorry.”

“About what?” asked Barry kindly, though he had a fair idea.

“Rudy- He wasn't always like that,” said Iris quickly, defending her brother, “He wasn't always that bitter or mean. After Edgar and Charlotte became quite successful, and I got my job, Rudy's always felt bitter. He never went to university because he wanted to play football for a career and that didn't pan out. Then a knee injury put him out of commission, and well, he became that. And by then I was going to university, and dad didn't have as much money for Rudy so he sort of fell through the cracks.”

“He's- different,” said Barry, trying to find the right thing to say, “But well, he's not- He's not- Wally isn't-

“Oh gods no! I made sure to check on that,” said Iris immediately, “As far as I know, he only verbally abuses Wally. And he's such a sweet kid Barry. He doesn't deserve that. I wish you'd had a chance to interact with him more. When I was younger and in university, Rudy and Mary lived near my school. I used to babysit him all the time. They only moved to Blue Valley when he turned three and a half because they wanted the more suburban lifestyle, which was a half a year after I graduated and then I moved to Central for better job opportunities.”

“And you're doing pretty well for yourself, if I must say,” teased Barry lightly, more taking on a more serious tone, “Has anyone ever- intervened?”

“I used to fight with Rudy about it, but Mary, she- She's his enabler. Whenever I tried to point it out to her, she'd blame Wally, say he's going through a phase and he'd get over it and Rudy would be happy. I love Mary, but she's too fixated on this perfect family ideals and too in love with Rudy, that she'd never step up and protect her son because that means accepting that Rudy's wrong and that he's not a good father,” said Iris with a sigh and an angry, dejected look on her face, “That's why I didn't want to introduce you to Rudy and Mary for so long, and why I cut back on visits to Blue Valley myself.”

“Hey,” said Barry, taking her hand, “I don't care if he turned out to be one of the Flash's rogues! I'm not dating Rudolph West, I'm in love with Iris West, and I can deal with the in-laws. Besides, I love your dad too much to leave you now.”

“I always knew you were only in this relationship to talk nerdy with my father, babe,” said Iris, but her lips twitched with amusement, and the pained look lessened.

“Besides, now that they're close by, maybe we can have Wally over a bit more?” offered Barry, “I mean- if you'd want him in your house.”

Iris grinned, and laughed as she pressed a kiss to Barry's cheek, “Was that a sly way of asking me to move in with you?”

“If it was, would you say yes?” asked Barry with a chuckle, “But- I mean- Only if you're ready!”

“I don't think I'm quite ready to take that plunge,” said Iris seriously, “But I'm glad to know that my family hasn't scared you off from a future with me.”

“Hey, I'm a brave man Iris West,” said Barry with a grin, “Throw me your worst.”

Iris laughed, and like that, the two of them had a clear air. It wasn't one of their best nights. Nor was it quite a happy memory, but it was something. A sort of unity between the two of them to ensure that there would be a future.


	2. Becoming Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry manages to crack the ice with the young Wally, and is thrilled with what he discovers.

The next time Barry saw Wally was two weeks after the tumultuous first meeting with Rudolph and Mary West. Iris and Mary had decided to take their shopping trip, and Barry had unknowingly planned a date night for himself and Iris. All of the Central City Rogues were locked up in Iron Heights, and the next few weeks Barry anticipated the Flash wouldn't have a lot of work to do. With this opportunity of time on his hands, Barry had decided to surprise Iris by bringing the date to her. Especially since work had been so busy for the both of them. So busy that Iris didn't even have time to comment about Barry's tardiness.

What he hadn't expected was Iris to open the door and lead Mary and Wallace in behind her as he started cooking the spaghetti. He'd already eaten his speedster fill before the date, as a precaution when meeting Iris. However, he'd made a lot of food, both to ease Iris into the fact that Barry had a large appetite for the eventual day when he'd have to tell her about the Flash and because he'd been a little overexcited at their first night alone in two weeks.

"Oh!" said Mary, surprised at seeing Barry, "I didn't realize you'd have company tonight Iris."

"Barry, what are you doing here?" asked Iris, surprised herself as she looked over at her boyfriend.

"I er- I thought I'd make us dinner," said Barry, feeling the blush on his cheeks, "I- I didn't realize you had Mary coming over."

"Ah- maybe Wally and I should head back home," said Mary quickly, her own cheeks pink as she realized she'd interrupted a date night.

"No- No it's fine," said Barry with a wide smile, "I've made a lot to eat, and the more the merrier. Besides, Iris told me how important you and Wally are to her."

"Stay Mary," said Iris firmly, "It's not often Rudy goes fishing with his friends for the weekend and we get a chance like this, and Barry doesn't mind. Besides, Wally wants to stay, don't you?"

Finally, Barry got a glimpse of the kid, clutching his mother's legs as he poked his head out and gave a tiny nod. Barry was amazed. He didn't think the kid had it in him. Iris beamed widely, before reaching down and scooping the boy up into her arms with a practiced ease. She'd be a good mother someday- and he wasn't going to think about that. Instead, Barry concentrated on Wally, who was settled on her hip, still carrying the Flash figurine. Dressed in a yellow shirt with the Flash lightning bolt in red, and a pair of blue jean shorts, he looked the part of the little Flash fan.

"Hey there kiddo," said Barry with a smile to the boy, "You remember me? I'm Barry."

Wally eyed him suspiciously, his hands clutched around Iris's neck. Those green eyes, which Barry knew he got from Mary- but god they looked so much like Iris's- stared at him with both curiosity and slight fear. It was both adorable and heart-breaking. Barry prided himself on the fact that he was, what he considered, an approachable man. In fact, at the CCPD offices, he was the one often asked to speak with the kids if the child specialist was unavailable.

"Why don't you and Barry get to work in the kitchen Wally, while your mommy and I talk in the living room," suggested Iris.

Wally's eyes widened in alarm, but before he could refuse, Barry tacked on, "I'm a huge Flash fan, Wally. And I'm a forensic scientist, so I work with the police and the Flash. I'd love to talk about the Flash to another fan."

He felt a bit cheap using that story since, well, he was the Flash. But he was curious about this quiet little boy, who Iris adored. He wanted to be a part of Iris's life. And he really wanted to have at least one member of her family to talk to besides Ira if they ever had to go to one of those reunion things. Even if it was a kid.

"Really?" asked the boy curiously, his eyes wide, this time with curiosity and lacking that fear that he'd had initially, "Do- Do you _know_  the Flash?"

"Ah- I've met him once," said Barry easily, "For a case."

Iris beamed as she set Wally down on the ground. He slowly padded towards Barry, the figurine still clutched in his hand. Mary smiled hesitantly at Barry, before the two women headed to the living room. Wally stayed a good distance from Barry, and kept his eyes trained to the ground. However, Barry pretended not to notice as he began spinning the story of how Barry had met the Flash.

Wally came closer, slowly, like a puppy. Eventually, he was standing right beside Barry as he began draining the water from the now boiled spaghetti. Wally was staring at him with awe and adulation, and Barry couldn't help but feel a little smug at the victory. He was careful as he spoke, making sure not to startle the boy, and keeping his voice soft and comforting, like he does with the kids he'd had to interview from abuse cases. The idea was frustrating and sickening. Especially when Barry realized how helpless he was as both a cop, and a superhero. The idea was laughable if it wasn't so twisted.

"And that's the story of how I met the Flash," concluded Barry, glancing down at Wally with a kind smile, "How about you- Why do you like the Flash so much?"

Wally was quiet, and he looked shyly back to the ground, those big green eyes looking uneasy again, and that was upsetting. But it was worth it, when Wally shyly answered, "He's a hero! He helps people, and he's really nice. Everybody likes Flash, because he's the Flash! Nobody's faster than the Flash- he can save everybody! He's- He's the Flash!"

The answer was so generic, really. Barry had heard it countless times, but there was something in the way this kid said it. Like he believed it with his whole heart. Maybe it was because it was the first time he'd heard the kid speak so much. Maybe it was because the kid had never been so enthusiastic around Barry before, but whatever it was, it warmed Barry's heart. It was one of those cheesy-feel-good moments, but not in a sarcastic way. There was just something about this kid that made the smile on his face widen, almost hurting as it stretched across his face.

"Yeah, he's really something, huh? Y'know, I bet the Flash would really like you kiddo, he'd like you a lot," said Barry easily, and Wally gazed at him in awe.

"You think so?" asked Wally, trembling in his place, "You think he'd like me? Are you sure?!"

The quiet, almost desperate plea in that voice made Barry clench his fist around the sauce pan, as he added the chopped onions and tomatoes into the pan for the sauce. It was- He couldn't even describe that desire he could hear in the boy's heart. That begging question. The plea that it wasn't a lie. And even worse, the disbelief that someone could actually like him. That his hero would like him. God, he _hated_  Rudolph in that moment.

"Yeah, I think so. You're a good kid," said Barry, and hesitantly, he placed his hand on Wally's shoulder.

The boy tensed at the touch, so Barry withdrew his hand. Wally was quiet, staring at Barry with unsure eyes. He pretended nothing had occurred, before asking, "So, what do you like to do for fun Wally?"

"I- I like reading," said Wally uncertainly, "Especially the newspapers. Auntie Iris writes lots about Flash. And I like reading the Big Book of Why at my school library. It's a really big book, all about why things happen. I like playing with my legos."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," said Barry, amused at the boy's quite intelligence. He could see a little budding Ira West in this boy. No wonder Iris was so fond of him.

"Do- Do you know more about the Flash?" asked Wally curiously, as he glanced up at Barry hopefully, "Could- Could I _please_  have another story?"

Barry grinned, once again amused and sad at the polite fear the boy had, as he said, "Let me tell you about the time the Flash took down Abra Kadabra. It wasn't all about speed either, he had to run on his hands for this one!"

* * *

 

By the end of the evening, Barry had managed to solidify a bond with the shy little boy. He'd convinced Wally that he wasn't the bad guy, and they'd bonded over Flash stories. Wally was soon shyly interrupting the stories with questions, and surprisingly smart questions too. When Barry had accidentally described speeds at Mach levels as he explained how fast the Flash-well, himself- had been going, the boy had asked what that meant. Which diverted into a lesson about air pressure and temperature in relation to the speed of air planes. And by gods, the boy was picking it up.

Even when Barry had to grab a piece of paper and slowly explain the basic physics behind it so that Wally could fully understand what a Mach level was, Wally was enthusiastic and understanding. He didn't get bored, he didn't back off. Instead, he asked questions. Barry had never met a kid like this before. Barry was amazed as he went through a simple calculation with the kid, using really basic, non-realistic numbers such as ones and twos to explain sample scenarios. Wally's eyes lit up as he calculated the answers.

And then Barry had broken out a calculator, and used some realistic scenarios. And the six-year old had solved the math easily. Barry had almost started to tremble in sheer delight. This was a little Ira West. When he'd gone further, and described the scenarios involving the Flash, Wally had actually began typing out on the calculator the numbers, while using the pencil to write in untidy scrawl the math involved with being the Flash.

Barry had just watched the kid, who was soon asking Barry for scenarios where the Flash had to run fast. Eventually they made it a game. Barry would give Wally stories about his adventures and the speeds he'd run, and Wally would calculate Mach levels. Soon Wally got bored of just the Mach levels, and they moved on to calculating acceleration and speed. Barry had explained the differences between scalars and vectors. And Wally just ate the physics up, absorbing it like a sponge. By the end of the night, Barry had gone and dug out an old high-school text book of his (feeling very glad he was a sentimental kind of guy who stored these things) and given it to Wally to take home and practice with.

Barry had spent the rest of the night retelling his evening to Iris. He'd been so excited that Iris had actually laughed at and there, was the spark of the relationship that Barry would have with Wally, and that Wally had with Barry. But for now, Barry delighted in just regaling Iris with the genius that was her nephew.


	3. Shaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hal Jordan makes his entry. He and Barry help Wally recover after another blow to his confidence.

Over the years, Barry found himself delighting in the company of his nephew. They're relationship was closer than ever. When Barry told Iris, after two and a half-years of dating, that he was indeed, the Flash, she'd been understandably shocked. Nevertheless, she'd taken it in stride, and firmly told him this didn't change their relationship. It just meant she forgave him for being late to all their dates, not that she didn't otherwise. Gods he loved that woman. 

And then he'd proposed. It had been the happiest day of his life when Iris had walked down the aisle, an aging Ira West handing her to Barry. A ten-year old Wally had been the ring-bearer for the wedding, and he'd been happier then ever to know his aunt was marrying his second favorite hero. Though Barry suspected he was higher than the Flash on the list, Barry didn't want to be presumptuous, even if Iris insisted that it was true.

Hal had been Barry's best man, which was how he met Wally. Apparently Hal's plans to get completely smashed and leave with a bridesmaid or two had been derailed by the red-headed bur that had found Hal using his familiar rhetoric of how he knew the Green Lantern with Iris's friends. Cat Grant, one of Iris's coworkers, had been particularly responsive to Hal's tales. Unfortunately, Wally's superhero obsession was strong, and despite his reluctance to approach a strange man, Iris lead him over, most likely out of a vicious plot to keep Hal away from her friends. Within minutes, Cat was gone and Hal found himself unable to play his I-helped-a-hero card without Wally asking questions, particularly about the science of his ring. Hal went home drunk and alone. Barry came back from his honeymoon to receive a punch from Hal to the jaw, before handing Barry a Green Lantern poster and a lecture about Flash indoctrination. After that, Barry had to monitor Hal to ensure he didn't turn Wally into a Corps fan. The man was a hypocrite. 

Not to mention once Hal discovered 'the brainwashing' Barry had done to the boy to make him the Flash's biggest fan, he'd turned it into a competition. Every time Hal came over, he'd regale Wally with stories about the Green Lantern Corps. He'd tell all sorts of exciting stories about the Green Lantern, even off-planet tales that Barry was pretty sure weren't stories found on the internet, as Hal liked to claim. It was with a heavy heart that Wally's Flash scrapbook began to accumulate Green Lantern stories. Iris said he was being a baby when he pouted about the fact. But it was worrying. Barry had slid to a third place in Wally's eyes of adoration, because really, he couldn't compete with a Green Lantern. Iris just threw her hands into the air and dropped the conversation after he said that. 

Now, on Wally's twelfth birthday, Barry had decided to take his nephew to Coast City since Iris was out of town. Hal liked the kid, and Wally was determined to figure out how the Green Lantern ring worked. Apparently the mystery behind it was frustrating him, especially since he knew the science to Barry's powers. It was actually quite frightening how much the kid knew about the Flash, but Barry found it hard not to tell more incriminating stories when Wally sleepily said 'nother one Uncle Barry, m'not tired'. Hal, on the other hand, barely understood his ring himself, and Wally refused to accept 'magic' as an answer. 

That's how the two had ended up being roped into spending a weekend together with Uncle Hal. Hal had offered to take Wally on a plane the last time he'd seen the boy- mostly to stop the tirade of Green Lantern ring questions- and Wally had talked of nothing else since. It had both been aggravating for Barry who had suddenly found himself fourth on Wally's list of heroes, Hal being propelled upwards. Barry was only secure in the fact that Flash was on the top of Wally's list. Likewise, it was amusing to see Wally so animated about something other than science and the Flash or superheroes. It was hard to draw the boy out of his shell in other topics. 

Unfortunately, ever since Barry had picked Wally up today (only ten minutes late!) he'd been silent. And a silent Wally was a troubled Wally. And that was never a good thing. 

"How come you're so quiet kiddo?" asked Barry, as they got closer to Hal's apartment. Barry couldn't wait to be out of his car. The box of creaky bolts and oil was a death-trap that moved so slowly. 

"S'nothing," said Wally quietly, glancing at the ground. And the death trap was now filled with an air of awkward tension. 

Wally looked so much like the little boy who trailed behind his mother's skirts and clutched a Flash figurine that Barry's heart broke. He was inwardly panicking, trying to think of the possible causes to depress Wally this much. He'd only been ten minutes late, surely that wasn't the matter. Barry raced through potential causes in his head. 

Rudy had been perfectly normal when he'd seen the man, if not a little sarcastic that Wally was going camping in the wild instead of 'playing superhero in his room'. He was still disappointed in Wally, and continued his tirade that Wally wasn't manly enough. The verbal tirades against his son had gotten harsher over the years, especially since his son was the freaky science kid. 'He's too smart!' was a common complain, along with 'he's clumsy' and 'he's skinny' and 'he has his head in the clouds, wanting to be a hero'. Barry seethed and packed Rudy back into the drawer of his mind where all problems Rudy lay and were avoided because aspirin didn't work on his metabolism. 

Wally hadn't mentioned anything about Billy Johnson, his school bully. Billy had been picking on Wally for a while now, pushing him around and generally making fun of Wally. Barry knew Wally didn't have any friends at school, mostly because he was much smarter then them when it came to science and math. Wally had skipped two grades just to be in a class that was somewhat challenging. Unfortunately, that only worsened the bullying situation. But Wally was never upset about it. At least, not like this. And not when he was spending the weekend with his two favorite uncles. Barry often marveled at how Wally could just be so happy with the small things when by all rights the boy should be a mess. It made him that much more special. 

"Did something happen at school?" asked Barry carefully.

Immediately, Wally's hand jerked inwards to his chest. It was a tell from when the boy was younger and had the Flash figure. He'd pull it closer to his chest when it was bothering him. Ever since, Wally's hands would move just slightly closer to his chest when he was upset, like a protective manoeuvre, even if he didn't carry the figurine around anymore. 

"C'mon, you can tell me about it," coaxed Barry kindly, "I won't laugh. Did Billy say something again? I could always talk to his parents for you."

"N- no," said Wally quietly, "He's not bothered me since the Flash saw him picking on me at the park, and told him off."

Barry smirked inwardly at the memory. Despite Wally's insistence that he could handle the bully, he couldn't. Wally had grown quieter during those weeks, and eventually Barry had had enough. He'd seen the boy's confidence diminishing, and how much he craved Barry's praises, like he didn't quite believe he was worthy of it. So the older speedster had tried convincing Wally that he should talk to Billy's parents. Unfortunately, both Rudy and Mary refused to accept that Wally was being bullied in any way or form. They couldn't handle another 'flaw' in their son. And Wally refused to let Barry or Iris handle the situation. Thus, Barry had taken matters in his own hands.

He'd donned the scarlet cowl and pretended he was chasing a lead in Keystone City. He'd come across Billy and his punk-friends as they teased Wally about his longer-than-normal red hair, and his skinny frame. Wally had been trying to walk home through a park, and they'd come after him. Barry had immediately intervened as the Flash, and told the bullies off. Wally had been so thrilled, that he'd not stopped talking about the story for days. Even now he still brought it up. 

"So what happened?" asked Barry, glancing at Wally from the corner of his eye.

For a now twelve-year old boy, Wally was still one of the shorter kids in the class. He had a lean, runner's build from running around and pretending to be the Flash. His face was smeared in freckles, and his green eyes were still wide and innocent. The mop of red hair on his head had grown out again, and was covering his ears and brushing the ends of his neck. His shirts were too big (Mary insisted he'd grow into them) and his pants hung off him. His shoes were worn from exploring the yards when Rudy kicked him out of the house to be a normal boy. Barry loathed his brother and sister-in-law. But there wasn't much Iris or he could do to change them.

"Um- I- There was this girl," began Wally, caving into Barry's kind questions. "Her name's Tina, and she's really pretty. A lot of boys like her. She asked me to go on a date with her."

Barry blinked in surprise. Wally had gone on a date? He felt an uneasy panic in his stomach, but swallowed it back and forced himself to listen.

"Anyways, it didn't turn out like I wanted," said Wally quickly, "And yeah."

There was far more to the story, thought Barry with another wave of panic. This Tina kid was in his class. She was probably thirteen. Possibly fourteen. Oh god. Wally had gone on a date with an older girl. Maybe she'd tried to  _kiss_  his poor little nephew. Oh  _god._  This was  _not_  happening.

When they got to Hal's apartment, Barry must have looked like shit. His face was pale and all he could think about was various scenarios where his nephew had been taken advantage of by an older girl. Hal took one look at Barry's face, and Wally's dejected one, and bluntly asked, "Who died?"

"Nobody died," said Barry, a little more forcefully than intended, "You ready to go camping?"

"I'm driving. You're a shit driver," said Hal, as he grabbed his stuff, and ruffled Wally's hair, "You taking shot-gun, kid?"

"Yeah!" said Wally with a quick smile, that faded just as it appeared.

Once they were in the car, Hal began glancing between the two of them. Finally, he demanded to know what happened. Barry had thrown Wally under the bus, and Wally had regaled Hal with the same tale that he'd given Barry earlier. Hal had glanced back at Barry, before slowly asking, "Was she older then you?"

"She's thirteen, like all the other kids in eighth grade," said Wally with a shrug, "Why?"

"Well," said Hal with a sigh, "Did she try to do something that made you uncomfortable?"

Wally frowned, and glanced at Hal, before asking, "How'd you know?"

Barry couldn't breathe. His nephew had almost been  _defiled_. His precious little Wally had been  _attacked_  by a woman. Iris was going to kill her after Barry had secured Wally in a safe-house away from the female populace. This was  _not_  happening! Couldn't the kid catch a break?

"What did she do?" asked Hal easily, "I'm the reigning expert on women, I know them inside out."

A lecherous wink was tossed back at Barry, who quickly gave a warning glare at his friend, accented by an angry, "Hal!"

"How come?" asked Wally to his Uncle Hal, and Barry wanted to smack Hal. The last thing Wally needed was Hal teaching Wally how to be a playboy. Especially not if Wally was never going to see another woman again. 

"Well, Barry has his experiments with the lab, and I have mine with the ladies," said Hal with a grin that was so dirty it should have been illegal, especially around a  _child._

"Hal- that's enough!" said Barry tightly, already envisioning the punch he'd give the Lantern once they were in their uniforms and not in front of an impressionable eleven-year old kid. Twelve. 

"Well, Tina asked me on Monday if I wanted to grab some sodas with her," began Wally casually, and Barry's tight anger at Hal bundled itself up in favor of listening to the story. "She said she thought I was cute, and that we should hang out, like on a date. So I said yes. When we went to get the sodas, she said I had to pay, cause that's what boys do on dates. So I paid, and we bought two cokes from the convenience store."

"Kids," said Hal fondly, "Then what happened?"

"Then we were walking, and Tina kept talking. She told me about her dog Miffy, and her friends Stacy and Cherry and how Stacy liked Brandon but Billy liked Stacy and Brandon's Billy's cousin so they can't be together because that's against the girls law or something," continued Wally, and then a troubled look appeared on his face. "Then she asked if I wanted to come over. So I said sure."

"You went to her house? Were her parents there?" asked Barry sharply, that feeling of dread churning in his stomach. He should have called his nephew up and asked him if he was doing okay during the week. If only he hadn't been trying to wrap up that cold case he'd finally managed to get a lead on and if Boomerang hadn't come up with some insane plot to kill the Flash on Wednesday, leaving him with a bruised rib. 

"We never made it to her house," said Wally, looking at his feet, and the fact that Wally had reverted to staring at the ground when he was with his Uncle Hal and Barry was setting both of them on edge. This had to be really _bad_ , "We were walking and then she asked me if I was really good at science and if I could help her out with her project. So I said sure, and then she kissed me-

Barry sucked in a gasp of horror, as Hal's eyes narrowed, "-on my cheek."

He released his breath, but Hal's eyes remained narrowed. Wally didn't even notice as he continued reciting his story, "Then when we were walking we ran into her friend Stacy, and Stacy asked her what she was doing with me. So she told Stacy that she had agreed to go on a date with me in exchange for me doing her project. But that's not what happened! I didn't ask her to go on a date! I didn't even offer to do her project! But she told Stacy that's what happened."

"Did you tell Stacy that's not what happened?" asked Hal quietly, as Barry's eyes narrowed, his mind processing that information and an ugly feeling roaring in his stomach.

"No! Stacy's scary! She wears lots of make-up and she's really tall and she's _mean._ I don't like her at all," said Wally immediately, "And she's Tina's friend. After Tina told her that, Stacy gave me this really mean look, and I just froze. She said really mean things to me."

"What did she say?" asked Barry, gritting his teeth as he wondered if the Flash could pop a visit to these two baby brats.

"She said I was stupid and pathetic for tricking Tina into a date," said Wally, looking on the verge of tears, "And then she said I was a- a- pros- prostitute because I was selling myself for dates."

Hal nearly crashed the car as he suddenly jerked to a stop. The red-light on the sign, just before they reached the airport grounds had most likely saved Barry's car. Not that Barry could blame him. His own jaw was dropped at what that- that- he didn't even know what to call this chick. Maybe he'd skip telling Iris and go after the girl herself. Then he remembered that he had the no-killing rule. Iris would have to know then.

"She called you a  _what_?" asked Hal, looking as shocked as Barry felt.

"A -stitute," muttered Wally, rubbing his eyes and screwing his face up to look brave as he pandered on with the disastrous first date story, "So I told her it wasn't like that! But Tina and her started to laugh, and then Stacy pulled out her brand new cellphone and said she was going to text Cherry and tell her. And then they both said they'd let all the girls know so I- I could offer my services, but I told them it wasn't like that and I begged them not to tell anyone. So they agreed on the condition that I did both their science projects for the rest of the year."

"Did you do their projects?" asked Hal, once again driving. They'd reached the Ferris air grounds, and were parking in the employee parking lot, courtesy of Hal's permit. However, no one moved to get out of the car, too engrossed in Wally's story.

"Yeah," said Wally, looking miserable, "I did one of theirs, and handed it on for them on Friday."

Hal sighed, before glancing back at Barry and exchanging a look of commiseration and anger. Then he turned to Wally and said, "First of all, they were wrong, don't ever think what happened was your fault kiddo. Second of all, those girls are dumb because that's not what prostitution is. Third, that was not your first date. Not by a long-shot. First dates are special and meaningful and that was- a stupid girl being stupid. They had no right to do that to you at all."

Wally was listening, clinging to every word Hal spoke for reassurance. All Barry could think as he saw the scene was how those girls had crushed Wally's fragile confidence in a matter of probably an hour. He wanted to run. He needed to take a run around the world to blow some steam off.

"And you don't owe those girls anything," said Hal sternly.

"But- But what if they tell people-

"We'll figure that out," said Hal, ruffling Wally's hair, "But for now, let's get ourselves on a plane and fly out to the campgrounds. You ready kiddo?"

"Yeah," said Wally, looking at Hal with the adoration he normally reserved solely for the Flash and Barry. It was only more upsetting for Barry, and gave Hal a heady rush. Kids didn't give Hal Jordan that look. Maybe this was why Barry liked having Wally around. 

"I- I'll meet you guys at the campsite," said Barry weakly, "I'm not a fan of heights."

"How are you going to get there Uncle B?" asked Wally, turning in his seat to face his uncle with those impossibly green eyes.

"I'll catch a ride with a bus," said Barry with a modest shrug, as he exchanged a look with Hal.

"It's okay kiddo, let him go," said Hal with a grin, "He won't let me go half as fast as I'd want to anyways. The slowpoke that he is. Barry, it's four hours by bus, but Wally and I should touch down within a half-hour, so we'll set up camp for when you arrive, that okay?"

"Perfect, thanks Hal," said Barry weakly. 

The group got out of the car, and Barry began walking away, his head pounding with anger and frustration. He could idly make out Wally laughing softly as Hal and he unloaded the supplies to take to the plane. But Barry was merely walking. Once he was out of sight, he pulled out his ring and changed into his uniform. The Flash was ready to run.

* * *

 

By the time Barry got back to the campsite, it was almost four and a half hours later. He'd run all the way to the North Pole to cool his temper. How could people be so mean to a kid? He just didn't get why it had to be Wally of all the kids that kept meeting all the shitty people in life. It was like the kid had a large sign on his head claiming 'come hither' to the nearest aggressive, manipulative or ignorant fool. Why couldn't the kid just meet like-minded people his age? Rumor had it Batman had a genius for a son. Robin. Maybe he should consider introducing Wally to Robin discreetly. The next time someone knocked the kid down, Barry wasn't sure if Hal, Iris and himself would be enough to pick him back up.

Finally, Barry had raced back to Central. He couldn't keep running aimlessly and wondering about things he had no control over. But he could do something about it. He told Iris the entire story when he got home. She'd been devastated when she'd heard, and furious as well. When she'd told Barry to leave the situation to her, Barry had almost wanted to cackle like a mad man. Nobody got away with messing with Iris's nephew on her watch. Barry had offered to talk to the girl's parents, but he'd handled the bullying, so Iris insisted to take this one on. 

 Hal had spent enough time corrupting his nephew, so finally, Barry headed to the campsite. It was ten minutes away for the Flash, who raced at a light jog. He'd refueled back at home after telling Iris the story, but didn't push himself. Hal had his JLA comm if anything went wrong anyways.

"In Blackest day, in brightest night, no evil shall escape my sight," he heard Wally reciting as he began his trek to the campsite as Barry Allen, and inwardly he groaned, "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power Green Lantern's light!"

"Teaching him the Oath already?" asked Barry as he came into view.

"Uncle Barry!" said Wally, his face alight with joy. It was amazing how  _quickly_  Wally managed to cheer up. Barry doubted if he'd been in Wally's shoes he'd have been able to hold such a brilliant smile, one so heart-warming and all-encompassing as the boy's current smile. It only made Barry's thoughts go back to his afternoon races, and his wonder if Wally would always be able to smile like that. 

"Hey you two," said Barry, waving.

"Enjoyed the run up here?" asked Hal, grinning at his friend.

The campgrounds were high in a mountain, only accessible by the small jet Hal had taken out for the weekend. Said jet was parked towards the valley of the mountain, where a specific landing strip was made for airplanes that dropped campers off regularly.. Hal and Wally had trekked up about fifty feet and erected one large tent for the three of them. A campfire was built between them. The other three groups of campers were closer to the landing strip, which was perfectly fine for Barry. He preferred the privacy they had up here together.

"Uncle Hal says that he could get me a Lantern ring because he knows Green Lantern!" said Wally, beaming as he rushed over to Barry, and extended his hand to display the garish plastic Lantern ring on his hand, "This one's a toy ring, but he says I should practice with it until I'm ready for a real one."

"I thought you wanted to be the Flash," said Barry, narrowing his eyes at Hal. Four hours unattended with the boy and he was inducting him into the Corps?

"It's his back-up plan," said Hal sheepishly, "In case he fails to develop the super-speed to be the Flash."

"Well, I suppose it's alright for now," said Barry with a sigh, before sternly looking at Wally and saying, "But don't listen to Hal, space exploration isn't all that it's made out to be."

* * *

 

The camping trip was a success. Barry has succeeded in keeping Wally from becoming a Green Lantern groupie. Hal was pouting as they flew in the plane. Except, to Barry's horror, Hal had never learnt the meaning of safe flying. They'd flipped over twice, and Hal let Wally take control of the plane. Scariest five minutes of Barry's life. But he couldn't deny the kid when he started to laugh, that high-pitched, little laugh of sheer delight that both men had struggled to coax out of the boy all weekend.

"You're never allowed to take him in a plane ever again," said Barry firmly, as they drove back to Hal's apartment. From there, Barry would drive Wally home to Central.

"Relax, let the kid live a little Barry," said Hal with a grin, as he glanced back at Wally's sleeping form, being carried by Barry, even if he was getting too big, "So, what are you going to do about Wally's-  _situation_?"

"Iris said she'd handle it," replied Barry, feeling older then he had in years, "But- If this is how he's being treated in elementary, I don't think he should go to high school next year. I thought- when he was given the chance to skip some grades, he'd fit in better with older, intelligent kids, but now..."

"It's not your fault Barry," said Hal, squeezing his best friend's shoulder, "He's just a kid with a quick mind. He'll grow up and find people who love him."

"What did you tell him, after I left to clear my head?" asked Barry, uncertain if he really wanted an answer.

"I told him that one day he'd meet someone worth waiting for," said Hal with a smug smirk, as Barry raised an eyebrow. Sheepishly, Hal tacked on, "And I may have gone through a crash course on picking up women, Hal-style."

Barry groaned, "You didn't."

"Relax," said Hal easily, "He's never going to imitate me, he doesn't have the confidence to try it. And anyways, he adores you too much to pretend to be like me. He'll probably be a mini-Barry once he gets a girlfriend, chasing after his Iris like a puppy."

"Whoever she is," said Barry darkly, "She'd better be worth him."

"We'll make sure of it," assured Hal, still smirking smugly. 

* * *

 

Iris was true to her words. She'd spoken with the mothers of the two girls about what had occurred, before requesting that she deal with the girls herself. Barry later learned that his wife had taken the two aside and asked for an interview, being a reporter. Unknowingly, the two hadn't realized Iris Allen was Wally's aunt. During the interview, Iris had carefully asked questions pertaining to the situation and referenced several criminals, including Poison Ivy, who manipulated men to get their ends. Finally Tina broke down and took Stacy with her. Both girls suddenly maintained a no-talking-to-Wally policy, and left him alone in fear of turning into super-criminals rather then potential Wonder Women. Barry had never been prouder of his wife after learning the fact. And Wally's shaky little smiles became stable once again. Until they disappeared altogether. 


	4. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris notices Wally's behavior is off, and then he nearly dies.

"Wally? Sweetie?" asked Iris, as she glanced over at her nephew in the seat beside her. He'd gone silent ever since they'd gotten into the car to drive back to Keystone.

He barely heard her. Iris instantly began to panic. Over the years, silences like these lead to organized panics. Organized panics. The dark humor of the situation was not lost on her. Years ago, Iris wouldn't have been able to understand why she put up with it. But marriage, her job, and age had softened her temper, and sharpened her personality. No longer did Iris pick fights that she couldn't win. No longer did she go head first into an argument with her brother. Wally needed her and Barry by his side, and angering Rudy lead to the two being cut off. The strangeness that came with the maternal feelings which lead to the growth of her person was never lost on Iris. Sometimes she wished she was Wally's mother, if only to protect him from the people battering him.

The first people to blame for hurting the boy started with his biological parents. Rudy and Mary had not changed over the years. They continuously belittled and demeaned their son, if only to get meaner with their taunts. Iris had nightmares she'd wake up one morning and Wally would have a bruise that should have been prevented. She had nightmares Wally would blame her for not saving him, blame him like she blamed herself. His real mother, Mary, had become frustrated with Wally, and Rudy's unhappiness lead her to blame her son, instead of her husband for the lack of familial affection. Rudy was the center of Mary's world, and it was getting harder and harder for Mary to cling to that. Iris had noted that Mary's tolerance for wine increased drastically over the years. She never went to bed without a glass or two.

It was something Iris could not change, and neither could Barry.

Then Wally was smart, much smarter then his classmates, which lead to Wally being teased and bullied. He had trouble reaching out to people, trying to make new friends. And just a few months back, at the start of the school year, Wally had trouble with girls. Now the summer vacation was nearing, and he'd be free of one prison. Only to be tossed into high school at a tender young age. Iris doubted the bullying would end at elementary school. It was a wonder this kid hadn't crumbled into a shell of a person because of it.

Sometimes, Iris would think about Barry, and how much he healed Wally, how much he kept her sane, and how together, they'd managed to salvage something inside of Wally. Years of spending weekends with Iris and Barry had brightened the boy. Lit a flame in his heart. He was _happy_. Somehow, just because of two kind hands, Wally was happy. And that happiness made the boy inquisitive, smart. It opened up a whole new side of Wally that Iris was certain nobody else could bring out quite like she and Barry had over the years.

He was smart and talkative, he had a bright personality. He made jokes. He  _laughed._  A boy who had beaten by the world laughed so infectiously that it filled her body with a giddy sort of warmth. Of course, when he went back to his parents, or his school, or went out in public, that boy went into a shell, scared of the world and it's ruthlessness. No- not scared. Wary. Like he was afraid that they'd just beat him down again. Like he had nothing to offer if they asked. He distanced himself, and went quiet. Until he came back to her arms, and Iris wished she could hold him forever, to see his smile never have to fade.

So for Wally to go all silent on her in the car, that was  _terrifying_. Iris was sure her nephew was apprehensive about something. For the life of her, she couldn't figure it out. He was wary around his parents, she knew that. He felt like he disappointed them. But- he was never quiet until he reached his house. He was their  _Kid_  until he was gone.

Iris had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

 

"And he was quiet the entire ride home," said Iris to Barry, her frustration and hurt evident in her eyes as she told her husband the story, as the rain pattered on outside. A faint roar of thunder accentuated her statement.

Barry had been gone on a League mission for the last week. He'd come home to a half-crazed Iris saying they needed to go to Keystone immediately because she was certain Rudy had finally snapped and escalated into the dreaded physical abuse she and Barry had predicted could occur. Barry, being oddly rational in that moment, had asked her for the facts. Mostly because she looked so manic that he wasn't sure if she was in her right senses at all.

"And then, I called him, Skyped him twice," said Iris, near hysterical, "And he blew me off Barry! He just shut down and stopped talking after ten minutes! Like- Like he couldn't speak to me! Barry he's in trouble! Oh god Barry, we need to get to Keystone. I just know he's in danger!"

"Did you talk to Mary?" asked Barry, his mind already plotting the fastest routes to Keystone via car, or maybe he should just run there, if time was of the essence.

"She never speaks to me," said Iris bitterly, "She hates me Barry, you know that. If anything, it sounds like she's been having her glasses earlier in the day. I almost called  _Hal_ , Barry. I had the phone in my hand and I dialed him, only to remember he was with  _you._  Barry we need to go to Wally right now!"

Well. That seemed rational enough to Barry. He was showered and dressed within three minutes. It was a testament to how well Iris knew him that she was already at the door, her shoes on, and the car keys in hand. A grim look was exchanged between the two, and they said nothing as Iris opened the door. Just as the two were about to leave, Iris's phone rang. Annoyed, Iris picked it up. Her phone would only ring at nine in the night if it was work related, which almost always lead to the Flash being involved. Barry did the only thing he could while she spoke, he paced.

Her hands shook as she hung up, and turned to Barry. It was enough to snap Barry out of the subjective thought nightmares he'd been having. His heart sank to his shoes from the look she gave him.

"He's in Keystone General," said Iris, "He- Chemistry accident- They don't know if he'll make it through the night Barry."

With that, the speedster grabbed his wife, and ran to Keystone City as his world crashed around him.

* * *

 

Barry was sitting across from Rudy and Mary West, around the limp little body of Wallace West. He looked so tiny and broken in this form, tubes hooked to his arms, in his mouth, and bandages strapped around him. Every inch of Wally's skin was burnt. Whatever the kid had been doing to end up in such a state, Barry didn't know. Wally had spent all week preparing for this experiment, according to Mary, before she'd dissolved into sobs.

Apparently Wally had waited until it was raining, almost thundering, to do this experiment. Every day he'd check the weather reports, and then tonight when Keystone expected a storm, he'd been ecstatic. Barry could even picture the large smile that would grace the twelve year old boy at the thought of a new discovery. His eyes had probably lit up, the corners of his mouth curving wide and a dangerously determined gleam in his eyes. Wally had set it up two days ago, and then, today, he'd gone up to the roof with a metal rod, where the rest of the chemicals were.

Mary and Rudy had no idea. The neighbors had called and told them Wally was on the roof with a bunch of glass bottles in the rain, out of concern. Rudy had been going up in an angry rage to tell Wally to come off the roof, when the lightning struck. It was absorbed by Wally, barely scorching the house, but the boy and his chemicals had lit up like fireworks. Rudy had barely gotten the body off the roof, by the time the paramedics arrived, again courtesy of the neighbors.

From there, it had been a long, long night. Mary hadn't called Iris, an acquaintance of the Keystone papers had. They'd heard the story, again courtesy of the nosy neighbors, and had thought to call Iris. By the time Barry arrived, they'd been ushered into the intensive care unit. The doctors had informed them that Wally had been through surgery to heal internal wounds, and his body was ninety-five percent burnt. They told Barry that the probability Wally would make it through the night was a million to one.

"I knew his day dreams would kill the boy eventually," said Rudolph gruffly, snapping Barry from the horrors of Wally's body in a little coffin, "Knew it would!"

The lack of- of compassion in Rudolph West's voice was disconcerting. His son nearly died, and Rudolph was more adamant about complaining over the fact that his son- his  _only_  son- was a genius. While right now, Barry was inclined to agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments- Obviously Wally knew this experiment was dangerous, if the lightning rod was a part of it- but the fact that Rudy just brushed his son aside like this, it made Barry want to punch the man. Wally was _dying_ , and he was just callous.

"Don't Rudy," said Iris, a sob stuck in her throat as she reached out and took Wally's small hand between hers, "Just- don't."

Rudolph looked ready to say something, but Mary's own sobs took over. Too busy comforting his wife, Rudolph went silent, something Barry was grateful for. The night passed like that, lost in prayers that Wally made it to see tomorrow.


	5. Out of the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally leaves the hospital and has to come to terms with failure.

It wasn't until the April of his twelfth year that Wally found Barry's journal. Up until that point in his life, Wally hadn't really anticipated his uncle being the Flash.  _Who_  would? Barry was mild-mannered, shy, and tended to stick to the quieter and more peaceful things in life, like reading and visiting his nephew to play with dangerous chemicals. The Flash, he was loud and boisterous, charming and always in the middle of the action, taking down villains while smiling for the camera with lame puns that people smiled at fondly, if not with a touch of exasperation. It took Wally, even with all his supposed genius, by surprise. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he very nearly fainted at the shock of it.

Now, he was an observant child. He'd always known there was  _something_  off with Barry, it was kind-of-sort-of obvious, but he hadn't realized how huge it was. He'd just associated his Uncle with his late grandfather Ira West, and assumed that it was the genius in him that made his Uncle twitchy in cars and always late to everything. Even the important stuff, like his wedding. 

This however. This was  _astounding._

Wally had reverted back to his silent behavior after the discovery. He'd been quiet and reserved, thoughtful even. He considered his options carefully in his head. On the one hand, he should probably tell his Uncle Barry he knew the truth. They'd bond over ice-cream and the Flash would tell him first-hand stories (though in retrospect, most of Uncle Barry's stories were first hand accounts). He'd offer to join Uncle Barry, and the man would say no and they'd live somewhat happily from then on. On the other hand, he currently had the formula to super-speed jammed in his back-pack. 

He had the formula to  _super-speed_  in his backpack. 

Oh he was so not telling anyone about this. 

* * *

 

Wally was in a coma for a week after the experiment. His healing had went tremendously well, some burns fading faster then others, and very few scars survived the incident. The doctors said it was a miracle. He got a front page article in the Keystone news, which Barry had framed in his office, as a reminder to why he kept working these cases and as a reminder to himself on the worst of worst, when everything seemed unfair, that Wally was alive. That miracles happened.

However, while the whole world rejoiced the miracle, Wally had been depressed ever since the accident. Two weeks after coming out of the coma, and he wouldn't tell anyone why he was so upset, or what his experiment had been. Now, he was due to be released from the hospital in three days. Barry and Iris had decided to take the boy home with them to cheer him up, seeing his miserable state. 

Mary had been unhappy with the idea. Ever since Wally had turned nine and seemed to prefer Barry and Iris to her and Rudy, Mary had gotten more and more distant. She hardly ever called Iris anymore, and didn't even bother speaking with Barry. When he and Hal went to pick up Wally's things, she'd simply opened the door. Not even a hello. The tension between the Wests and the Allens was stifling, and even Hal was uncomfortable, with his thick-skin.

Hal had come with Barry to Wally's house to help pack the boy's things up. And because he was desperate to see Wally as well. Between covering a good portion of Barry's League duties, he'd hardly had time to go to the hospital to visit the kid. Even John had commented on Hal working harder than normal, but for the sake of Barry's identity, it was a necessary cover. Right now though, the two were currently scavenging his room. Well, Hal was scavenging, Barry was packing Wally's clothes.

"C'mon, he's thirteen, he's got to have one or two lying around," said Hal, as he searched through the room.

"He's not you," retorted Barry, "Besides, he's just a kid!"

"Never too old for a good porn mag," agreed Hal absently, as he sifted through Wally's backpack. He stopped when he saw an old leather-bound journal. It was vaguely familiar. He remembered Barry waving it in his face after they'd shared their secret identities with each other. "Barry- Isn't this yours?"

Barry turned in surprise, and his eyes widened when he saw his old notebook. What was it doing in Wally's room? He gaped, and then took the book from Hal. It had been his old journal where he'd written down experiments and previous cases that he'd done. Absently he began to swiff through the pages, stopping at the last one. There was the page with the ingredients that had given him the Super-speed. He'd rewritten it out, the speed formula.

"Why would Wally have this?" asked Barry in shock, as he read over the chemical list.

It had been so long since he'd looked over it, that even the chemicals had become muddy in his mind. He couldn't remember that all, and it was especially important that he didn't. Not when Grodd or Kadabra could use hypnosis to try and get him to spill the formula. Oddly enough though, most of them, despite not being used together commonly, seemed to stick out in his mind, like he'd recently seen them. He suddenly began to have a  _very_  bad feeling.

"Was he trying to replicate an experiment?" offered Hal, looking worried as Barry suddenly stopped in place, his face going pale.

"He- God- Hal- he  _knows_ ," said Barry very quietly.

"Knows what?" asked Hal, confused.

"About- This journal- it made me- and he knew," said Barry, slumping onto the bed the journal slipping from his hands.

Hal caught up a half-second later, and gripped his friend's shoulder immediately, as he said, "It wasn't your fault."

"It was my fault," mourned Barry, "I- I shouldn't-

"He never told you anything," said Hal firmly, "And you didn't know."

The room was silent. Only the sounds of Mary cooking in the kitchen could be heard. The two were silent, processing what to do next.

"When he comes over today," said Hal quietly, "We'll talk to him. Try and figure out what he was thinking. Maybe you're overreact-

"He blew himself up because of me Hal. I think we all know what he was thinking," replied Barry bitterly, "But yeah, we'll talk to him."

* * *

Wally had never been more miserable. Nobody could understand why he was so upset. His father had spent the last month of his recovery berating his son for trying stupid things. When he wasn't berating him for being a stupid genius, he was yelling at his son for being upset that it failed and not valuing his life. In a misplaced way, the fact that his father was upset that Wally was depressed over his own survival was a twisted way of showing he cared. A long time ago, that might have made the thirteen year old happy. It might have been enough.

But for a long time, nothing was enough. For a long time, Wally has known he would never make his parents happy. He knew that they couldn't love him for who he is. His father saw him as a copy of his grandfather. Wally had heard Aunt Iris telling Uncle Barry that story many years back, and it stuck in his mind. And his mother loved his father too much to care that his father's issues with Grandpa Ira were being taken out on his son. Wally knew this. And because of that, their concern for him would never be enough, because he isn't enough for them. He can't make them happy.

The Flash makes people happy. Uncle Barry made  _him_  happy. Both his heroes were the same person. Maybe it was warped, but his first reaction to realizing who his Uncle really was had made Wally envious. His Uncle, who was always enough for Wally, who was always enough for Iris, for Hal, and for his job, was the Flash. And the Flash was  _enough_  to make the entire world smile.

Is it so bad that Wally had wanted that too? He  _wanted_  to be the Flash. He  _wanted_  to be enough for people. He _wanted_  to be something that could really make people happy. He wanted to be more than this twisted, half-shell that he had been for the last thirteen years of his life. This shell that couldn't be enough for people like his parents, like the bullies at school, or the girls who teased him. 

Auntie Iris drove him to her home in silence, promising a 'surprise'. He didn't know how to tell her why he couldn't look her in the eye anymore. Why he couldn't talk to Uncle Barry anymore. He was just so ashamed that he'd almost died for a lost cause. If they realized what he had done, that he had messed it all up, they'd hate him for it. Wally still didn't know where he went wrong in the experiment. Each step replayed in his head, but he had messed it up. That was enough for Wally to know that it was never meant to be. That Wally never deserved to be a whole person, who could be enough for the world.

To Wally's growing horror, they were leaving Keystone City. It was at this point that Wally realized that the 'surprise' his Aunt Iris had planned for him was that he got to stay in Central City. The mere idea was horrifying. Wally wanted to cry, but he didn't say anything. Because he couldn't bring himself to speak to them anymore. He just couldn't. 

* * *

When Wally entered with Iris, Barry couldn't help but look at his nephew, really taking in a thorough observation of how different the boy was. Wally was a short thirteen year old, with red hair that used to shine. Ever since the accident, it had taken on Wally's mood and just looked dull. The green eyes that were once brilliant and sparkling had lost their luster. Wally's small, thin frame was wrapped in a shirt that once used to fit perfectly, but now hung loosely off of him. His pants were held up by a belt, locked on the fifth latch instead of the second or third. He'd lost so much weight from this accident, partially because of the hospital food, and partially because he refused to eat. He was carrying a crutch because his right leg, which took the brunt of his injuries as he collapsed on the roof, and had still not fully healed. He looked- broken.

And Barry blamed himself for it.

He should have told his nephew earlier. He should have hidden his journal better. He should never have indulged Wally's love for science to the point where he'd be able to understand his notes at the tender age of thirteen. This broken boy was Barry's fault.

"We need to talk," said Hal, looking sternly at Wally, and Iris flashed him her best annoyed look, which usually would have made Hal balk and rephrase his sentence, but today was not an ordinary day.

Wally looked between Hal and Barry, as Iris angrily, but with a tinge of confusion said, "Wally just got out of the hospital, can't this wait until he's rested, Hal?"

"No, it really can't Iris, the kid has a lot to explain," said Hal, folding his arms.

Iris's eyes went wide. Barry knew that she was misinterpreting the situation. She had thought Hal wanted to confront Wally's depression. They were planning to stage an intervention if Wally didn't buck up in the next few days anyways. Her anger grew at the idea, and threateningly she said, "Hal, back off. Wally's been through hell, he needs time."

"He needs to learn the consequences of his actions!" argued Hal, only enraging Iris further. On a normal day, Barry would have chuckled at how the two most important people in his life managed to anger each other so. Right now, all he could do is observe his nephew.

Throughout this entire exchange, Wally's eyes had landed on Barry. He was staring at his uncle, who was sitting on the couch, looking aged and tired. The man's blonde hair was untidy. He was still wearing his work clothes. And his blue eyes just looked so sad as they stared back at his nephew. Wally swallowed as it clicked. 

"You know," said Wally, sounding scared and upset as his eyes widened and he paled further, going a ghastly white.

Finally, Iris and Hal tore away from each other, Iris staring at Wally in confusion, and Hal in triumph, which quickly morphed into his concerned-adult-face that didn't suit Hal's flamboyant nature, as he said, "That was a stupid thing you did kid. You almost died!"

"Wally, what's going on?" asked Iris, taking her nephew's hand as she smoothed back his hair.

"You should sit down Iris," suggested Hal, and for once, Iris listened, as Hal lead the two of them over to the couch. Wally found himself sandwiched between Barry and Iris, as Hal sat across from them on a kitchen chair. The chair was turned backwards so Hal can lean across the back, and stare down at the broken little family with sympathy.

"Why don't you tell Iris what happened Wally?" asked Barry, the first words he's spoken today, and he internally lamented that it should be an apology instead of an accusation.

"I- I found out Uncle Barry was the Flash when I found his old journal, a week before the accident. Uncle B was gone, and you were writing an article so I went looking for his old university books. I found his old journal of cases from when he'd started as a forensic scientist. Then I saw the last page. It- He said it was the formula for super-speed. That's when I put it together. I- I looked through Uncle B's closet, and found a torn up Flash-suit. So I stole the journal," said Wally, his voice shaky and uneven as he poured out the story.

Barry closed his eyes, guilt racing through him. He'd totally forgotten about the suit. He inwardly cursed himself for not tossing it out. Now he knew the truth, how it had happened. Wally had confirmed it. He could see Iris had gone rigid from where she sat, her eyes gleaming with the horror that was the truth of Wally's accident.

"Oh- You didn't," she said, crushing Wally's hand with her own, her hand reaching out to brush his hair, as if reassuring herself that he was alive, that he was tangible and in her arms.

"I-  _I_  did," said Wally, his voice cracking with the signs of puberty and distress, "I tried- I  _wa- wanted_ \- I-

"He blew himself up in a crazed attempt to become mini-Flash," said Hal, disapproval radiating off of him. It was ironic how Hal, fun-Uncle Hal, had become the purveyor of Justice and Discipline and rational thinking, while Iris and Barry were reduced to broken shells trying desperately to figure out how to fix this broken little boy.

"Why Wally?" asked Barry, cutting Hal off before he could go even more out of character and actually give a lecture on responsibility, "Why did you do it? The risks- You could have died!"

There was no way Barry was ready for the answer.

"I- I just wanted to be _enough_ ," came the reply, and finally the thirteen year old succumbed to the tears he'd held back in the hospital, the tears he'd held back since he'd woken up and realized he wasn't the Flash. His mouth was running quickly, as he told them why he wasn't enough, as he told them his fears and worries, and all three adults soaked in how years of neglect and verbal abuse had broken this kid.

Hal's sense of responsibility faded, and turned to horror as he came over and sat on his knees in front of the kid, holding his hand and stroking his arm, trying to soothe the sobbing little boy. Iris was cradling her nephew to her chest, holding him in her arms as she cried, and Barry didn't know what to say. He felt like crap.

"You are always enough Wally, always, to me you're more than enough kiddo," said Barry, swallowing back his own tears as he hugged his family, and vowed then and there he'd find a way to fix this with Wally, one way or another.


	6. Hal and the Garricks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hal treats Wally to space, and Jay Garrick takes an interest in Wally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the new update days will be Wednesdays and Saturdays. Originally I was going to do Tuesdays, but for reasons undisclosed, that failed (I was too tired and fell asleep). More importantly, however, this new chapter sets the tone and answers a lot of questions people have been asking! As well, Robin will not show up in this section of the story, (sorry!) but the story ends in another chapter (Saturday) and then after that I start up the next section of the story in which Robin does appear! Yay! And the overall plot is divided into three sections, so this is like the pre-prequel to the eventual story.

After the torn up sequence of tears that Wally was shamed to admit ever occurred, a lot in his life began to change. A month later, his last year of elementary school ended, with unfortunately dismal results. For one thing, he failed English class. And history. And math. The last one came as a shocker to everyone who knew him, because Wally was generally good at math. He had to be, after all, since his heart and soul were engrossed in science. His math teacher even admitted that it wasn't failure for not knowing the answers, it was just that he didn't write them on paper, or his tests were incomplete when he handed them in. The rest of his grades barely scraped C's.

The teachers blamed it on the fact that he was only a twelve year old boy who had just been traumatized. That, combined with missing a near two months of school for his freak lightning and chemical accident must have made things difficult for him. They decided to let him into high school, despite not being near ready for it, and hope for the best. At worst, the teachers reasoned, he'd be put into a special program. However, to minimize the chances of failure, Wally was stuck taking summer school and tuition to make sure he was prepared for the challenge that would be high school.

His parents were extremely disappointed by his failures. His father complained to anyone that listened about how Wally's science-obsession had gone and made him retarded. His mother had sent him off to Aunt Iris to avoid angering his father as soon as summer began. A part of Wally died at the fact that his mother refused to speak with him about the matter, merely choosing to open a bottle of wine and tell him to pack his bags. Uncle Barry had made the offer to tutor him. Mary had been extremely distant with her son since the accident, and not a soul could understand what was going through the doting mother's mind.

Wally minded it all, of course. But it was hard to miss home when he was with Barry. Ever since finding out that his Uncle was the Flash, he'd wanted to spend every minute with him and Aunt Iris. And they with him. Especially since the accident that was never mentioned in the house again. Wally loved that they never brought it up. His parents used the accident far too often to taunt Wally, and he adored that his Uncle and Aunt avoided bringing up the one thing in life that had failed him and brought about so much havoc. He loathed the accident. It was the single most awful memory of his life. As long as Wally lived, he'd never get over the disappointment of waking up and not being the Flash. Of waking up and finding that he couldn't even do the most basic of math without getting a headache. Of waking up and being unable to read the words on the page anymore. All because of one  _mistake_.

The Flash, however, was the coolest person ever, and helped alleviate the tension somewhat. His Uncle showed Wally things he could do at super-speed, often taking delight as Wally sat on the sidelines and calculated things for him. And Wally marveled as his Uncle put his hand through the kitchen table, or ran to Philadelphia to grab them the best cheese steaks he'd ever had. He marveled at how much his Uncle Barry could eat, and delighted in his Aunt Iris's exasperated sighs.

The most special incident resulted as his Uncle ran them to Coast City in under a half hour, Wally disguised as a mini-Flash in case anyone saw them. Hal had been right disappointed, before using the ring to dress Wally up like Green Lantern and fly them up into space. Uncle Barry refused to speak with Hal for a week after that incident, since he'd been abandoned to the ground. Nonetheless, Wally always shut his eyes and thought of the beauty of the solar system when everything got to be too much. Hal had understood, of course. He knew why Wally had needed to see the entire universe. To realize that the one mistake of his life had no importance in the grand scheme that was the universe. And it was thrilling. To see the sun, in all it's majesty. To see the stars, dotted along and glowing. To see the planets, lazily resting in the black crevasse of space. It made him feel small, human, and more importantly, that it was okay to be human. That it was okay to fail, because there was more out there for him. Sometimes, Wally wondered if Hal was smarter than he acted. That day, it seemed like the universal truth.

_"You protect all of this?!" squeaked Wally, once the initial awe of space wore off. A comet streaked by, so much slower than Wally had expected from the speeds discussed in his text book._

_"All of it and more," laughed Hal, grinning mischievously at Wally's expression, "I protect an entire sector kid, this- this is just a small piece of the entire pie."_

_"Woah," breathed Wally, going back to stunned silence as he placed his hands at the green energy orb surrounding them, keeping the oxygen for the two Earthlings to breathe in space._

_"Beautiful isn't it?" asked Hal calmly, as he placed a hand on Wally's shoulder. "When I was younger, my dad used to take me up in the plane, and he'd show me the world from the sky. It was the best feeling in the world, especially after a really bad day. The whole world just faded away and seemed unimportant. Inconsequential, like nothing really mattered. After dad died, I could only really feel that calmness again when I was in the sky, and the whole world faded away. Nobody really understood that. They all thought I should be terrified of getting back in a plane, after the way dad died, but when I took to it like a fish in water they were all blown away. And after becoming Green Lantern, it was even easier to find peace within myself. I just came up to the sky, and the world became a speck in my eye and it all just became okay."_

_"You're lucky," said Wally softly, not even hearing the words slip from his mouth._

_"So are you," replied Hal, "This entire thing, the world, it's yours Wally. After a bad day, I can bring you here any time you want. And one day, when you're old enough, you'll find something that makes you feel at peace, after the bad days. Maybe even now. Maybe tomorrow. And you'll love it as much as I love this. But that's why I brought you up here, Kid. This is- I mean- I'm not sappy, not like Barry, but if you ever need to get away from it all, just know I'm here for you. And so is Barry, and Iris. Take your time to get better, and feel better. Because this- this won't change for the next thousand or so years, maybe more. Unless Sinestro or someone decides to try for Apocalypse four point oh, or what not. But just- yeah."_

_Hal clammed up, not used to emotional displays, and Wally went red in the face and ears. Years of his parents had made him uneasy with dealing with his own emotions. Yet, in the last two months, he'd had two outbursts of emotions. He wiped away the tears threatening to pour from his eyes and gave a sniffy nod. Hal ruffled his hair, and the two went back to Earth and got an earful about responsibility and keeping the comm-link open. But the secretive grins that the two exchanged made it all worth it. Even if Iris banned Hal from seeing Wally for a month after hearing that story._

* * *

After that incident, a week passed and Iris's temper cooled. Barry got over it in a few hours, and worked to make her understand. Uncle Hal came over every couple of days. Wally had been fascinated with the power of the Ring Hal used. He'd tried to understand the physics behind it, but it was too complicated for the average teenager, and it really sucked that he just couldn't focus on anything anymore. It was getting hard to pick up the more advanced concepts the ring used when his mind couldn't stay concentrated on anything. Even simple division was stressful. Nonetheless, It had become Wally's new challenge. Privately, when Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris had gone out for a date night, Uncle Hal told Wally that when he was eighteen, Hal would try and get him a ring, or at least he'd take Wally to Oa. The idea was thrilling, that his Uncle Hal thought he could be a superhero, even if the colors were all wrong. Maybe he could become a Red Lantern, or Yellow- but Hal said no to the yellow thing. Something about Sinestro.

Today, however, today the _Garricks_  had come over. Jay Garrick, the original Flash, was nothing like what Wally had expected. He was old and wise, like Barry on steroids, but he had a wicked sense of humor. And his wife was nice and pleasant, and she never pinched his cheeks like the horror stories about grandmothers he'd heard. But she cooked heavenly food. Even better than Aunt Iris. And she had no compunctions about taking over the kitchen despite it not being her own house. In fact, she seemed right at home in there.

"So Barry told us all about your accident," said Jay, as they settled down to eat. Wally had been quietly staring at the old couple in awe, because this was Barry's hero. He was like, a double-hero, because of that mere little thing.

"He- He did?" squeaked Wally, sitting up straighter and flushing a dark red. So not the way to introduce him, Barry!

"While it was stupid to try such a stunt, I'm impressed. Not many kids out there would try something like that. It takes a lot of bravery," said Jay with a kind smile, and Wally felt relieved that the man wasn't going to lecture him. Infinitely a thousand times cooler already.

"Well, there's no way I would want a partner. "If something happened to him on my watch, I don't think I'd be able to handle it," said Barry stubbornly and sternly. He seemed to be making an effort to emphasize this fact around Wally, in case he tried again. As if. Wally wasn't ready for that kind of disappointment again.

"It's a shame though," continued Jay stubbornly, "I mean, the Flash legacy ends with you Barry. I always thought after you took up the cowl that it would have more substance than that. Something for generations to come. That it would become something greater. And Wally's a bright kid. He'd have made a great heir to the legacy."

"You think I could be a Fl-l _a_ ash?" squeaked Wally, his voice doing that annoying cracking thing that came along with the onset of puberty, and his eyes big and wide, and Oh-my-mister-old-Flash! This guy was rising quickly to be on par with Uncle Barry!

"You've got the Flash guts," said Jay with a wink, grinning as he reached over and ruffled Wally's hair.

"Thank you!" exclaimed Wally bright tomato red, as Iris and Joan brought the dinner over. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, pork chops and a salad. Followed by a pasta and rice and dinner rolls. Wally gazed hungrily at the table covered in food. His appetite had been increasing ever since the accident, and it seemed like his days as a picky child eater were foregone for inhaling the food around him, like the other boys in his class.

"Slow down their kiddo," said Iris from beside him as they were eating, and Wally shoved down a spoon of mashed potatoes followed by half a dinner roll, "You're going to get sick if you eat that fast!"

"M'sorry," he said quickly, slowing down slightly, and boy was it hard. A small frown graced his features. He was fairly sure he  _had_  been eating slowly and politely, to make a good impression. He didn't notice Jay's eyes narrowing at the comment.

"I swear, you've gained such an appetite for a skinny little thing," said Barry with a fond chuckle, speeding his hand through Wally's hair, but slow enough that he didn't cause a friction burn. Wally threw his uncle a shy grin, squirming slightly in his seat. It was always such a shock to leave home and stay with the Allens where affection was so freely given over criticism.

"Jay was skinny as a boy too," said Joan as she smiled kindly at Wally from across the table, "But he filled out over the years. Especially once he started playing football, and I bet Wally will as well. So how is school Wally?"

Wally winced, and began picking at his food, appetite gone. He didn't know how to explain that he'd gone from a genius kid- to a stupid kid. As if he wasn't problematic enough. As if the bullies didn't have enough to pick on him about. Now he was zapped  _stupid._ All because he'd tried to become a hero. Because he'd let himself dream about something unattainable for a brat like him. For the weirdo.

Iris, thank gods for her, answered and smoothed the entire thing over, "He's been having a bit of trouble since the accident, especially on focus. It's been rough, but he'll pick back up."

"Huh," said Jay, so quietly that Wally almost didn't hear, but he glanced at Jay, a little embarrassed. He couldn't tell what Jay meant by that. It was suddenly making him self-conscious. What if Jay thought less of him for being stupid? He didn't want that! What he didn't realize was Jay glanced right back at him, and looked at him analytically. "Well, that's not a big deal, we've all had a rough week or two. Barry should bring you around our house more often. We need some spunk in our home, what do you say Kid?"

"Really?" squeaked Wally again, sitting up tall, and then throwing a pleading glance at Barry, "Can I Uncle B? Can I?"

"I don't see why not," said Barry with a smile, before throwing a playful at Joan and adding, "Provided that Joan's okay with it."

"Joan's okay with it," said Jay immediately.

"Oh am I?" asked the old woman, crossing her arms and looking at her husband in amusement.

"You are okay with it, right hon?" asked Jay, throwing her a pleading look.

"Don't try that on me mister. Almost sixty-five years of marriage and I'm immune to any of your puppy-dog eyes! Besides, you're going to be ninety-two next year mister! You're far too old for this!" replied Joan easily.

"Help me out Kid," said Jay, and immediately Wally put on his best pleading look. His green eyes went wide, a small pout on his face as he glanced downwards. The glance was out of pure unease. Uncle Hal had told him to look up, but he couldn't meet Joan's eyes if she said no. He was squirming in his seat with nerves as they waited for her answer.

Joan wavered, and then threw her hands up as she said, "Now how can I say no to that?"

* * *

Almost two weeks after his dinner with the Garricks, Aunt Iris dropped Wally off to spend the day with Jay. Wally had gone back to spending the weekdays at home, especially since he needed to go to summer school in Keystone. And the Weekends were at Central. Surprisingly, it hadn't been long for Jay to call and invite him over.

The old man answered the door with surprising limberness for a man in his nineties. Wally was super excited as he walked in. Despite hearing kids whine about spending time with their grandparents and listening to boring stories or lectures, Wally was looking forward to that. His only grand-parent figure had been Grandpa Ira, and he was so absent-minded that half the time he forgot Wally was even there. Somehow, Wally doubted Jay would be like that, and even if he just wanted to lecture about the good ol' days, Wally wanted to listen. He doubted the first Flash's stories were boring.

More than that, the week had been frustrating. Everyone was telling him he was too fidgety, and no matter how hard he tried to bury himself in the summer homework he'd been given, his mind just wandered. Or he didn't stop to show the work, or he tore the paper apart because he was writing too quickly or with too much force. Worse, he couldn't read anything without getting dizzy. The numbers and words spun in his mind, and it was so difficult to slow down and read each word individually.

Physically, his body was clumsier than ever. He'd been breaking a lot of things lately. He'd broken three glasses getting water for himself. He couldn't explain what happened. One minute he was drinking the water, the next he'd put the glass down and it would smash in his hand. He'd broken his video-game controller while playing because the button was pressed too hard. He'd torn his bed-sheets while making his bed, and that had been bizarre because he couldn't even pinpoint how it happened. None of it made sense. Sure Wally had always been a bit clumsy, but never like this. It only angered his dad further and made his mother more distant. Her disappointment with him was more cutting than anything else.

"Wally!" said Jay, clapping him on his shoulder, "Come on in kid! How you been? Joan's at her book club, but she'll be back in another hour or so, but with Joan, that could be three hours or more. I swear, she and those ladies of hers, once they start talking they don't stop! Then again, she may just be trying to escape from me. Almost sixty-five years of marriage kid, and we didn't make it that far by spending every minute together, trust me."

"I've been good sir," said Wally immediately, as he followed Jay into his small town house.

Jay was nothing like his late grandfather Ira. Where Ira had been so lost in his thoughts, Jay was so solidly focused. Where Ira had crazy hair and a rotund belly, Jay sported a military cut and was still fit for a man his age. Where Ira had been slow and absent-minded, Jay was fast and sharp. And Wally adored Jay as much as he adored his late grandfather. Even if this was only his second meeting.

"So, tell me how you've been for real," said Jay with a chuckle, as he lead them over to the couch. And Wally was amazed that Jay seemed to move so fast, when everyone else around him moved so slowly. It was agonizing waiting for his mother to finish cooking, or watching his dad mow the lawn. They just moved so slowly. Probably because Jay was a speedster, even if he was retired.

"Well," said Wally shyly, "It's been hard since the accident, sir."

"Drop that sir thing, call me Jay," said the man, smiling at Wally with kind brown eyes.

"Uh, sure Jay," said Wally, and then nervously he launched into the story about the torn bed-sheets, and the broken video-game controller, and all the homework he had left to finish and how hard it was. Because you didn't lie to old people. It was disrespectful. Besides, Jay seemed interested in Wally's life, which was exhilarating. By the time Wally was done, he wondered if he'd have been able to lie to Jay and say everything was okay. He doubted it.

"Huh," said Jay again, that look on his face that Wally couldn't decipher and made Wally uncomfortable. Like he was missing something. "So, you done anything exciting besides homework?"

"Not really," said Wally with a pout, "My parents want me to get caught up, and so do Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry. They want me to take it easy since the accident so I'm stuck in my room."

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Jay with a grin, "Let's do something fun! Come with me kid, I got a great idea."

Wally obediently trailed after Jay to a small gym area in the basement of the house. It had only a treadmill and some weights, but the old man looked confident. He had that weird face on, and Wally felt like he was really missing something important.

"Want to try out my treadmill? It was specially designed for me by the government scientists back when I was young," offered Jay, and Wally gave him a confused look.

"Why?" Wally wanted to ask, but he didn't. Instead, he just did as he was told. This was a _superhero_  he was dealing with. The treadmill was sleek and black, with gold lightning bolts on the handle. The screen was sleek, but Jay turned it to face himself as he stood at the front of the treadmill. He pressed some buttons, and then smiled at Wally in a reassuring manner, and Wally was convinced it was okay.

"Alright kid," said Jay with a grin, "All you have to do is start running. This thing here will clock how fast you're going, so go all out."

Wally felt a little weird running on the speedster's treadmill, but did so anyway. He hardly doubted he'd be able to even touch Jay's records, but he was positive he could hardly make an impact. The thought was a little depressing, as he slowly began to run. Idly he wondered how this treadmill worked, and the mechanics behind it. Maybe when he was smart again, he could figure it out. Wally slowly let his thoughts fade, though, as he ran. He was home, at peace. THe calmness only Hal had made him feel in space returned, stronger and more meditative. Like he was in a trance. He really went all out, and it was amazing. He shut his eyes as he let himself run until-

"Stop! Wally- Kid!  _Stop_!"

Wally opened his eyes, and slowly decelerated himself to a stop. He looked worriedly at Jay Garrick, who's eyes were wide and looked amazed. Wally suddenly felt very conscious, and he wondered if he'd screwed up again. If he'd done something stupid. Had he broken the treadmill?

" _What'dIdo_?" asked Wally nervously, looking at Jay's astonished face.

"Kid, I think we need to talk," said Jay, as he showed him the screen to the treadmill.

Wally didn't see it at first, until he saw the corner of the screen that said, average speed. 438.2 kilometres per hour. Oh.  _Oh_. When he looked back into Jay's face, he was grinning widely. And Wally couldn't help the grin that came onto his face too.

* * *

"It- It was a _success_?" asked Iris, sitting across from Jay with a shocked expression.

Just minutes ago, Wally had burst in through the door, followed by Jay, at super-speed. The kid was moving at _super-speed,_  and talking faster then Iris could understand clear enough, but she picked out the details. The accident was a success. Wally was a speedster. Her nephew had done what nobody else could. He'd blown himself up and become a meta-human. Her hands shook at the implications despite the pride blossoming in her heart.

"I've been running tests with him all afternoon," said Jay proudly, "The kid's fast, and with the right training, he could get a lot faster."

"How? I mean- I didn't- how'd you-

Barry was at a loss for words, while Wally sat on the arm-chair, looking like the king of the world. He was grinning like a maniac, but was silent as Jay and Barry conversed.

"Don't blame yourself," said Jay easily, "I only picked up on it because the kid seemed a little faster then normal. Most people would blame it on hyper-activity or some nonsense, but considering how you and Iris described the kid, and then considering the accident and the sudden changes, I decided to test it out."

"And I can be your  _sidekick_  Uncle Barry! We can be speedsters together!" said Wally proudly, "You can teach me about my speed and I can race you to Philadelphia for cheese-steaks instead of having to be piggy-backed!"

"Hold up kid," said Jay with a good-natured chuckle, "You're not that fast yet, and if my guess is right, you're speed's still kicking in."

"What- What do you mean?" asked Iris, taken aback. Kicking in? Wasn't the speed just supposed to be all there? She glanced at Barry, who looked equally confused.

"He's a lot slower than Barry or I," said Jay, as Wally's smile faltered, "But I have a few theories for that. It could partially be from the fact that the kid's still growing. Or the fact that he'd done the experiment differently than us. Barry and I, we were adults when our accidents happened, our bodies weren't changing yet. Wally was doing the experiment in a much more controlled environment. Barry, he's a lot faster than I am, which could suggest that the proportions of the chemicals and lightning made him a lot faster. But Wally, he used the approximations of what Barry was guessing from his own recollection of the experiment, and those could be off."

"So- I'm going to be _slow_  forever?" asked Wally, sounding heart-broken. And Iris wanted to laugh or cry at the insanity of the statement. The Fastest Kid alive was worried he was too slow. That he still wasn't enough.

"Not forever," said Jay quickly, apparently not immune to Wally's heart-broken look, "But like I said, that speed's still settling in. It's probably the reason why he's been failing his classes though. His body is being forced to rest, but his mind has been in overdrive and he just can't concentrate. You said his teachers couldn't decipher his writing? Or he had partial answers? It's because he's writing things too quickly, or thinking them too fast, that his body wasn't able to keep up. I tracked the speed the kid can talk at, and we were nearly matched in speed-talk before the treadmill. He didn't even realize he was speed-talking, or that I was either. After that, he went on the treadmill and he was running, which pretty much confirmed that his body is as fast as his mind, maybe more. And I tracked the speed at which he could do simple math questions, and then some more complex stuff. His mind is really fast, faster than I could even keep up- but then, I was no scientist type. As far as I can tell, there's absolutely no reason why his body shouldn't speed up as he practices using his speed."

"But, he's just a child," said Iris, as Barry absorbed those words quietly, "You and Barry were adults when you gained your speed. You said- It could be- different."

"He's the first speedster _kid_ ," said Jay with a sigh, "We have no idea what we're working with here. A lot of what we're doing is guess work. As he grows, the speed will manifest hopefully like it did with Barry and I, but, well, there's a lot at work while he's growing and we have no control over how it goes."

Everyone was silent at those ominous words. Iris hated the idea of her nephew being a controlled experiment for the rest of his life. Wally, on the other hand, didn't seem phased in the slightest. One look at his smile, his heart-wrenching and infectious smile, and Iris realized there was no going back. Barry seemed to pick up on the same thing.

"Looks like we're going to need to start training, huh kid?" said Barry, and then he was enveloped in the tightest hug as Wally hollered his thank-yous and clung to his uncle like a leech.


End file.
